“I have read hundreds of definitions of leadership, from the very academic to the practical, from paragraphs to single words (Influence à la John Maxwell). As I think about leadership and observe effective leaders I want to follow, I see them answering four questions as they define and embody leadership:

1. How does the leader interact with followers?

Leaders are always answering this question. How they answer this shapes the culture of their team, department or organization. From dictate to serve, there is a range of verbs (command, direct, guide, empower) that reflect the leader’s heart. Of course, there is a time for each, but the leader’s true self is revealed in times of stress. And we have all been around the leader who professes one verb but lives another.

2. How does the leader describe those who follow?

I am always listening for the way the leader describes those around her. On one end of the continuum are words like partner, colleague, team member—terms that shrink the distance between leader and follower—and at the other are words like subordinate and supporter that increase the distance and draws attention to the gap.